Senegal will be hoping to restore some pride after two successive defeats, which saw them crash out of the African Cup of Nations, by beating Libya tonight. The Teranga Lions will face a difficult task against a Libya side who can still qualify for the quarter-finals.
Amara Traore’s team looked to have salvaged a point against Equatorial Guinea in their second group game, but a late goal from Nzalang Nacional defender David Alvarez saw Senegal lose again. They were beaten by a poor defensive display against Zambia in the first game and Traore is expected to keep a strong side to salvage some points. Moussa Sow is expected to start once again for his country, despite travelling to Turkey this week to complete his move from Lille to Fenerbahce. The Senegal Football Federation have revealed they will evaluate Traore’s position, which could cause uncertainty in the squad. Newcastle fans may get the chance to see new signing Papiss Demba Cisse and current forward Demba Ba up front again after they started the loss to Equatorial Guinea.
Libya have a difficult task against Senegal, but will take heart from the fact that the other two teams in the group have exploited the shaky Lions defence. Marcos Paqueta’s side need to beat Senegal and hope Equatorial Guinea beat Zambia by two goals or more to qualify. A 2-2 draw in their last game left Paqueta’s men with one point from six games, but the real heroics come from qualifying for the tournament despite the civil unrest in the country during qualifying. Libyan striker Ahmed Saad Osman scored two wonderful goals in the draw with Zambia and Paqueta will be looking for similar form from the Club Africain striker.
Both sides will be hoping for better conditions than the horrific tropical storm that turned the pitch into a swamp for Libya’s game with Zambia. Senegal will be looking to restore pride in their country after two disappointing performances and should finally get a victory thanks to their terrific strike force. Libya will work hard, but come up short as Zambia and Equatorial Guinea progress through the group.
